Stanford Briefings

Case Study: Roberts Dairy

Omaha, Nebraska

A Kantola customer since 2007

Founded over 100 years ago near Lincoln, Nebraska, Roberts Dairy now serves seven states from its headquarters in Omaha with three production plants, ten distribution centers and over 700 employees. Roberts Dairy products go beyond dairy and ice cream to include additional fresh foods and other well-known brands.

A component of group trainings

Harold Papen, Director of Human Resources, uses video training in classroom settings to supplement training for new hires as well as existing employees. He develops his programs based on mandatory training requirements, areas where employee skill sets might need a boost, or in response to a specific need. He designs his training for maximum impact by combining presentations, workbooks, and general discussion along with videos.

Video demonstrates skill sets

Harold finds that adding video training to a class offers a nice break and a different point of view. “Video does a better job of illustrating a point than just telling people or talking about it. It shows examples of how to use a particular skill set. I believe the studies that show most people are visual learners, followed by audio. And it’s hard to reenact in classroom settings to the level of example possible in a video.”

Even when the onscreen interaction takes place in an office setting (many Roberts Dairy employees work in a plant environment), Harold feels the situations are close enough that his viewers can relate. “The setting doesn’t matter as much as two people working together on an issue.” If anything, he feels that different surroundings help underscore the universality of many issues and help motivate employees to apply the new skills they are learning.